Sabbath Devotional :: Be One / There is a Place for All

Members of the *Be One* choir, including Alexis Janique Bradley, Shelby Smyth Phillips, and Chante Sinclair Stutznegger (top left))

Be One, by Chante’ Stutznegger

On Friday night, I had the opportunity of being part of the Be One choir at the 40th anniversary celebration of the 1978 revelation on the priesthood. The weeks leading up to this celebration were a roller coaster of emotions, to say the least. The fake apology letter that surfaced had many of us raw and so emotionally vulnerable that it was hard to swallow the word “celebration” as it relates to such a difficult and heartbreaking topic. Yet, my hope for what this monumental occasion could mean for us stayed strong. I continually fought the thought, “how can we celebrate so much pain?” Each night at rehearsal, the message of love, acceptance, unity, and oneness continued to overpower any concern that remained in my heart. The words from the song “Somewhere” resonated deeply in my soul:

“. . . Somewhere
We’ll find a new way of living
We’ll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere
There’s a place for us
A time a place for us
Hold my hand and we’re halfway there
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow
Someday
Somewhere!”

As I listened to Sister Knight sing those beautiful words, the thought came to me that June 1, 1978 was not the end. It was not a time to breathe a sigh of relief and then move on as though it had never happened. For those saints of African American ancestry, this was just the beginning. A new beginning in a church and a gospel they loved so dearly and the beginning of healing many deep wounds. Isn’t everything in this life simply the beginning? Each beginning is given to us to elicit growth and development. The end that we ALL seek is a Celestial end. The concept that we are ALL striving for the exact same ending, pierced my heart. Can we not to go there together, hand in hand?

“Hold my hand and we’re halfway there, hold my hand and I’ll take you there…”

To anyone who has ever felt broken, lost, unaccepted, misunderstood, or even shunned knows the power of being lifted by another. The act of figuratively taking another’s hand to lead them through their darkness is honoring our mortal duty on this Earth and ultimately honoring our Savior’s great sacrifice. Hand in hand, we can take one another there, hand in hand we are halfway there.

“We’ll find a new way of living. . .”

On June 1, 2018, I felt that this new way of living was unfolding.

President Oaks stated, “As we look to the future, one of the most important effects of the revelation on the priesthood is its divine call to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Racism is probably the most familiar source of prejudice today, and we are all called to repent of that. . . . As servants of God who have the knowledge and responsibilities of His great plan of salvation, we should hasten to prepare our attitudes and our actions — institutionally and personally — to abandon all personal prejudices. . .”

This must be more than just a feeling of love in our hearts; it has to be an action of open arms, of warmth and welcoming of another culture, of discussion, of clarification for previously disavowed beliefs and a willingness to recognize the pain and hurt of the past.

Last night, as I sat in the choir seats, looking out over thousands of beautiful faces, of all colors, races and backgrounds, I felt nothing but joy. We rejoiced together, we celebrated together, we wept together. We felt the pain of history and the hope of the future. I needed this, more than I knew. I needed to see the culture of my heritage shared and accepted. I needed to see thousands rise together in respect, as stories of Jane Manning James, Elijah Abel, and many more were shared and celebrated. Last night, in that conference center, we were one. May we carry that with us into our homes, our chapels, our social circles and our daily actions.

“If ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27).

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There is a Place for All by Alexis Janique Bradley

Many of us are still riding the wonderful emotional high from Friday night’s Be One celebration. Those present in the conference center felt the energy, the excitement, and the joy that filled the room and our hope is that those who watched it from their homes felt those same emotions and spirit. To hear the people cheer and to see them rise to their feet when they were touched by the music and the narrative of strong, resilient, faithful black pioneers like Jane Manning was more amazing than I could have ever imagined. Because I was a member of the choir, I had the opportunity to hear the message and the music several times before the broadcast and had time to really think about the message. My deepest desire was that through these words and music souls would be touched, hearts opened, and action taken.

I want to recognize that there are many in the LDS black community who are hurting and have had mixed feelings about the Be One celebration and I want to acknowledge that and hold a space for that here. This hurt does not just stem from the past but also from things that are still happening in our LDS congregations, in our communities, on blogs, and other mediums that perpetuates racism and divisive beliefs that deny we are all children of God.

This message of love, acceptance, unity, and doing away with racism and prejudice is a message we so desperately need. But as powerful and moving as the celebration was, it is not the grand finale. Now is the time we get to act on what we felt. We cannot let these feelings fade. If we truly believe we are all children of God, we cannot let our own insecurities or our fear keep us from loving and ministering to one another as Jesus taught us by word and example. We cannot be whole and cannot be “one” unless we realize that, “and whether one member (of the body) suffer, all the members suffer with it” (1Corinthians 12:26).

Elder Holland said in the most recent conference,

“Brothers and sisters, we have a heaven-sent opportunity as an entire Church to demonstrate ‘pure religion . . . undefiled before God’ — ‘to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light’ and to ‘comfort those that stand in need of comfort’. . . in short, all of us, every one of us, because we all need to feel the warm hand of friendship and hear the firm declaration of faith.”

We ALL need to feel the warm hand of friendship. We need to make our spaces more welcoming and more loving for all, including our black brothers and sisters. We need to read the essay on Race and the Priesthood on lds.org, share it with friends and on social media, ask our bishops to read it and allow it to be taught and myths dispelled. We need to get out of our comfort zone and make friends that don’t look like us. We need to be sensitive to cultural differences and have the desire to really learn about each other. We need to take a look at our social circles and places of involvement and make sure they are a safe and welcoming space for all people.

Watch the Be One celebration for family home evening and open up discussions with your children. Teach them to mourn with those that mourn. Write letters, as inspired, to church leaders to thank them for this celebration. Let them know we want more of this and express the feelings you felt! And above all, pray to our Heavenly father and ask him how we each, personally, can bridge gaps, rid ourselves of our own racial biases, reach out to all brothers and sisters and not only continue the spirit that we felt last night, but make it burn brighter and stronger until we truly are all “One.”

I know there is a place for all of God’s children in this church. It is my prayer and plea to God that we can find that place. I love this Gospel and am hopeful for our future.